SM Goh: It's a very good showing by PM Lee

He says everyone has emerged a winner in this general election

By Laurel Teo
May 8, 2006
The Straits Times

PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong won a 'resounding victory' in his first election, said his predecessor Goh Chok Tong yesterday.

The Senior Minister described the outcome as a 'beautiful general election' in which all Singaporeans emerged the big winners.

Mr Goh, who handed over the office of PM to Mr Lee in 2004, graciously compared the People's Action Party's 66.6 per cent share of the popular vote in Saturday's polls with his own maiden showing in 1991.

'I started with only 61 per cent. And then in my second election in 1997, I had 65 per cent,' he said.

His own final showing of 75.3 per cent in GE 2001 was exceptional, said SM Goh, putting it down to the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in the United States and recession which had Singaporeans worried about security and lost jobs.

For PM Lee to hit 66.6 per cent at his first try was 'overwhelming'.

'It's a very, very good result,' said SM Goh yesterday morning to reporters, at the start of a four-hour victory parade in his Marine Parade GRC, which was uncontested in this election.

Waving to crowds of cheering residents and lion dance troupes that had gathered at markets and void decks as early as 9am, Mr Goh toured public and private housing estates in Marine Parade, Haig Road, Serangoon, Kembangan, Kaki Bukit and other areas in an open-top truck, accompanied by his five team mates.

They are PAP newbies Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Seah Kian Peng, Lim Biow Chuan and Fatimah Lateef, and Dr Ong Seh Hong, who has won a second term as an MP but is also new to Marine Parade.

With them was an outgoing Marine Parade MP, Mr Othman Haron Eusofe.

Mr Goh gave several reasons why he felt all sides - the PAP, opposition parties and Singaporeans - 'won big' this round.

First, even though the PAP failed to reclaim the two opposition wards of Hougang and Potong Pasir, it received the solid mandate it set out to win, he said.

It also fulfilled its other goal of self-renewal as all 24 new candidates it fielded were returned to Parliament.

The opposition, too, won because it succeeded in improving its margins in the two wards and fielding better-quality candidates, especially in the case of the Workers' Party.

As for voters, especially those in the two opposition wards, they displayed loyalty and character by choosing hardworking incumbents over multi-million-dollar goodies dangled by the PAP.

During the nine-day campaign, the ruling party's candidates had whipped out $180 million plans in total to renew the two ageing estates, but to no success.

Said Mr Goh: 'This attribute to me is a very good characteristic of Singaporeans. Better that than for them to be chasing after every goodie which we offer them...

'So this is an election where everybody should feel happy, because everybody won.

'It showed the wisdom of the Singapore voter. Like it or not, Singaporeans are very smart.'